Lundin Petroleum AB, through its wholly owned subsidiary Lundin Norway AS, announced in a press release that the Gohta discovery flow-tested for approximately 4,300 b/d of oil. Gohta is Lundin Petroleum’s first oil discovery in the Barents Sea offshore Norway.

Well 7120/1-3, operated by Lundin Petroleum, was drilled on PL492 approximately 35 km (22 miles) north of the Snohvit field in the Barents Sea, according to the press release. The well proved oil in contact with an overlying gas cap.

The purpose of the well was to prove petroleum in reservoir rocks in Triassic sandstone reservoirs and Permo-Carboniferous carbonate reservoir. In the carbonate reservoir the well found a 25-m (82-ft) gross gas column above a 75-m (246-ft) gross oil column in karstified and dolomitized limestone. The Triassic sandstone was water-bearing, according to the press release.

A production test was performed to assess the quality of the carbonate reservoir. The drillstem test produced a flow rate of approximately 4,300 b/d of oil through a 44/64-in. choke with a gas oil ratio of 29 cm (1,040 cf) per barrel. The main flow of the reservoir was stable over 24 hours, and the pressure buildup lasted 36 hours and did not show any barriers such as faults or significant reservoir characteristics variations, Lundin said.

The drillstem test result has confirmed good production properties of the reservoir. The preliminary evaluation of the gross recoverable oil and gas resources from the Gohta discovery is estimated at between 105 MMboe and 235 MMboe, of which the oil resources are between 60 MMbbl and 145 MMbbl and the gas resources are between 7.8 Bcm and 15 Bcm (275 Bcf and 545 Bcf), according to the press release.

The results confirm for the first time oil and gas in a play model that so far has been unsuccessful on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, Lundin said. The well operation was performed by the semisubmersible rig Transocean Arctic. The water depth was 342 m (1,122 ft), and the well was drilled to a depth of 2,515 m (8,251 ft) below mean sea level.

Lundin Norway is operator of PL 492 with a 40% interest. Partners are Det norske oljeselskap ASA with a 40% interest and Noreco Norway AS with a 20% interest.